Most of us think of our company’s Finance Department in pretty simple terms: the place that tracks incoming and outgoing cash. But the truth is much more than that; Finance Departments everywhere are full of unsung heroes who tirelessly labor to keep the company financially healthy. With the right tools, they can not only affect the bottom line significantly, but also streamline processes that make a positive impact on customer service. But not every company uses these tools yet.

Fortunately, we have hundreds of finance solutions available on the AppExchange. And they can transform Finance heroes into one of your company’s greatest customer service assets by implementing some simple but key behaviors.

1. Give every department the same view of customer information.

Gone are the days of siloed information, where service has one slice of customer data, finance has another, and sales has yet another. Now accounting apps like FinancialForce Accounting live on the same cloud as Salesforce CRM, so everyone in your company shares the same real-time financial data, which means your customer always gets the same information, no matter which department she talks to. She’s happy and no one internally becomes the bad guy.

2. Respond to customers faster with quick credit decisions.  

Waiting around to get a green light on customer credit puts your potential sale at risk. Apps like Equifax BusinessConnect make the order-to-cash process faster and easier, connecting front- and back-office operations and giving reps real-time access to data and on-the-spot credit decisions. The result? You onboard customers faster and help impact their businesses more quickly. 

3. Pay everyone faster.

There’s one thing that makes everyone’s day: cash. Getting invoices out quickly with apps like FinancialForce Billing means your company gets paid faster, which means salespeople make commissions faster, and everything from paychecks to snacks to vacation days keep coming without interruption. And because it generates bills directly from Salesforce, there’s no re-keying of information, which reduces billing discrepancies and keeps customers happy. 

Visit the AppExchange to find finance solutions that will turn your Finance team into customer service rock stars.